Handloom

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT HANDLOOM - PAGE 5

NEW DELHI: Continuing its upward trend, employment in the country during the October-December quarter last year increased by 2.26 lakh, the government said today. During this quarter, the increase was visible across all the sectors except leather and automobile. The results were based on the thirteenth quarterly survey report carried out by the Labour Bureau of the Labour and Employment Ministry to assess the effect of economic slowdown on employment in India'.

NEW DELHI: Union textile ministry has appealed to India Inc to source indigenous handicrafts and handloom items in large numbers for corporate gifts ahead of the coming festival season . The sector that employs 11 million people is reaching out to corporate India in the backdrop of similar items from China, Vietnam, Taiwan etc. flooding Indian markets. "Corporate India can come in a big way. First, they can make it a point to source gifts from indigenous artisans.

the fall in october exports by nearly eight per cent on top of a similar fall in the previous month over the year-ago period is serious. it is a sign of a sustained crash in trade. non-ogl imports, especially edible oil, are up by nearly 10 per cent over the year-ago period. the figures provide the necessary muscle to the commerce ministry to get the hard boiled revenue bureaucrats to loosen the purse strings for a little money to give a boost to exporters. it is now a matter of the country's prestige and survival, they say. on november 26, the department of revenue released the third rise in drawback rates to bolster sagging exports.

Land up in Kanchipuram and you cannot escape its twin claims to fame. Even as you drive into the bustling town, you can see the gopurams and sikharas of magnificent temples towering over the horizon. And small houses lining the highway on the outskirts have their courtyards full of vividly dyed silk yarn strung out to dry in the sun. Kanchipuram (Conjeevaram in its erstwhile colonial avatar) is probably the oldest living city in Southern India. With innumerable temples and serpentine bylanes teeming with people, the sobriquet "Varanasi of the South" sits easily on this ancient city.

The Tamil Nadu constituency of the finance minister can seriously take his reassuring "main hoon na" quip in the budget speech. P Chidambaram has taken some steps that will get him cheers from the 'home-crowds' down South. The FM has provided a direct healing touch to Chennai, to cure its perennial scarcity of drinking water. The FM has proposed to install the first large desalination plant near Chennai in the state sector. More such plants will also be installed along the Coromandel coast.

NEW DELHI: Declaring a "war on poverty" through higher economic growth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the industry to chip in with more employment- oriented growth opportunities, saying they would reduce the "disproportionate burden" on agriculture. "... we must ensure that more people get employment in manufacturing and services so that the disproportionate burden on agriculture in providing a livelihood to two-thirds of our population gets reduced," the Prime Minister said, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on the 60th Independence day of the country.

NEW DELHI: Showcasing potentials of the North East states and promoting the region for private sector investments would be main highlights of the fourth edition of the North East business summit slated for September 15 and 16 in Guwahati. Department of North East Region (DoNER) Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will elaborate on the Central government' plans for all round development of the North East region while inaugurating the summit. Officials in the ministry informed that a conclave of Governors and Chief Ministers from the region will also be held during the summit, which is being organised by DoNER in collaboration with Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata.

Twenty years have lapsed since they last heard from each other. A small misunderstanding triggered the doomsday of what could have been a life-long friendship. But does he have any regrets on not being a part of the last journey? Says the painter, "I don't look back. I always look forward. " On a more sombre note he added, "I have my deepest respect for him. His sensitivity towards the poor was enormous. The Indian scenario would have been different had he been allowed to take over the reigns in Delhi, a historic blunder it truly was. During his lifetime, I never met him once since our relations soured.

KOLKATA: How many bidis do you make a day?, would seem a pretty innocuous question to a young village belle. But in the heart of historic Murshidabad, it can take on whole new layers of meaning. For instance, who would have ever known that bidi-making skills actually raise a potential bride's brand value in the Murshidabad marriage market several notches. Not only is it a major criterion, someone who can churn up 600 bidis a day would be a prized bride. If you haven't guessed already, bidi-making is part of core household work in Murshidabad.

COIMBATORE: A government appointed panel on textile industry on Wednesday invited stakeholders to go in for 'Handloom Mark' registration under the 'Great Indian Heritage Promotional Scheme'. The scheme aims at branding Indian handloom products and secure a niche market for them in domestic as well as international markets, the Committee said in a release here. The Committee, which is the implementing agency of the heritage promotional programme, said that the scheme would cover all handloom products like fabrics and garments.